Time Stands Still

As I wrapped up my last class before the March break, two of the moms in that class mentioned the dreaded "I'm going back to work" phrase. It'a a bit of a sad phrase to me, because it means I won't get to see their babies every week anymore.

In my job, I have the pleasure of meeting many moms either during their pregnancy or at the beginning of their mat leaves. They remind me of my own time on mat leave - a time I enjoyed immensely and cherish to this day. And now I am in the same position as the trainers I met on my leave, that led Strollercise and encouraged me to do things I would never have done before. I learned about push ups, tricep dips and how to do a proper lunge while walking with a stroller. I learned how to pull my belly button into my spine so that I could engage my core. I learned I could run a half marathon, even though I had never run more than 5 km before. And I learned that with a little hard work, I could get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes and feel good about my post-baby body. The best part though... was that I made many very special friends during that time in my life.

These days, I spend nearly a year with many moms and their babies. I watch their babies grow into little people who can move around, interact with me and most of all, smile or laugh at me. And I watch their mamas shrink back to their pre-preganancy bodies, gaining muscle, strength and stamina along the way.

But after about a year (give or take), most maternity leaves comes to an end. The babies that I've seen growing up before my eyes, go off to daycare and their moms come and workout in the evenings without their wee ones (and I love that I still get to see those moms!).

For me, though, Time Stands Still. Those wonderful babies in my classes are forever etched in my mind as babies. The first babies in my FITMOM and Baby classes (after I took over FITMOM in 2010) are coming close to their fourth birthdays! They will start school this September! And their moms are probably wondering where the time has gone. Time flies, but it also stands still. To me, they will always be the babies that I was lucky enough to hang out with nearly every week for the first year of their life.

Looking at those faces, who wouldn't consider me lucky? Thanks for all of the snuggles over the years:)

Welcome to the New FITMOM!

A few months ago, FITMOM Canada embarked on a journey to update FITMOM's web presence across the country. I am very excited to share the new home of FITMOM with you today!

Not only has the FITMOM Canada website had a complete overhaul, but we have updated our logo as well! Now, whenever you see this logo, you can be assured that you are experiencing the highest quality pre and post natal fitness programs. These programs are designed to support you during your pregnancy and post partum experience. Under the guidance of our founder, Andrea Page, FITMOM continues to be the leader in prenatal and post natal fitness.

In the next few months, we'll be working to transition from our old logo to our new logo! Keep an eye out...

Fall classes are off to a great start! FITMOM Ottawa will continue to offer our signature FITMOM & Baby classes at three locations in Ottawa, FITMOM 2B at one of our locations and FITWOMAN Bootcamp at two of our locations into the winter. Classes will take a small break over the December holiday period, but will return in full force at the beginning of January.

If you haven't experienced a FITMOM class, please come and join us during our Open House week from October 21-25th. All classes are free, but since space is limited, please register by emailing Susan at: info@fitmomottawa.com

I hope you are as excited about the new changes we have made! Please take a moment to check out the new FITMOM Canada website!

Beyond the Belly - Fitness for New Moms

I'm not sure why, but this year was been a banner year for pregnancy! Our FITMOM 2B class was full every week with pregnant women since September and they just keep coming. When debating about this seeming surge in pregnant women, my colleague at FITMOM Durham suggested that it might have something to do with the hockey lockout. I have two HUGE hockey fans in my house, who were not all that excited to hear of the hockey strike. But if that's the reason I've met so many awesome pregnant women, then bring it on!

A number of FITMOMs 2B have either recently had their babies or are just about to give birth. While the outcome is a bundle of joy and love like you've never quite experienced, the process to get there can be exhausting. The first few weeks can feel overwhelming - between feeding and changing diapers, there's very little time left over for you. But here are a few exercises you can do during the first few weeks after baby arrives to help you feel a little more like yourself:

1.  Pelvic Floor:

Your pelvic floor muscles will lose elasticity during pregnancy due to pressure from your growing fetus and you will likely need to recondition these muscles regardless of the type of delivery you've had. A quick way to find your pelvic floor muscles is to try and stop the flow of urine when you're sitting on the toilet. You can use this test as a gauge to see if you're using the correct muscles, but don't do this on a regular basis!

Begin by contracting your pelvic floor for a series of 10 x 1 second contractions. Follow with contractions where you hold your pelvic floor contraction for a longer period - begin with holding for about 3 seconds and work your way up to 10 seconds.

To be sure you're doing them correctly, remember:

• Don't hold your breath
• Don't tighten your tummy, thighs or buttock muscles
• Don't squeeze your legs together

Try to complete 10 short and 10 long contractions a few times a day, remembering that pelvic floor muscles fatigue easily. If you need to, complete fewer contractions more often in the day to prevent fatigue.

2.  Shoulder Rotations:

During pregnancy, our shoulders tend to roll forward as our upper back muscles weaken, due to larger breasts and postural changes as a result of a growing belly. Poor posture during breast feeding can aggravate this.

Begin by inhaling and lifting your shoulders towards your ears. Exhale and roll your shoulders back and down, allowing your shoulders to fall as far from the ears as possible and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Release to normal position and repeat.

This exercise will remind you to correct your posture, open your chest and strengthen your upper and middle back at the same time. Try to complete 10 repetitions a few times a day. Once a good latch and breast feeding is established, you can practice this exercise during feeding time, as it's easy to do with your baby snuggled in your arms.

3.  Abdominals:

Pelvic tilts will help release tension in your lower back and rehabilitate your core muscles.

Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Inhale to fill your belly with air. Exhale, pulling your belling button towards your spine and slightly rolling your hips towards your ribs, but not lifting your hips or glutes off the ground. Release and repeat.

Try to complete 10 repetitions a few times a day. Work up to 20 or 25 repetitions as you begin to feel stronger. You can practice pelvic tilts after you finish nursing as you are cuddling with your baby.

For these and other exercises that you can work on in your first six weeks after your baby is born, you can watch this FITMOM video.